NEW DELHI: India got off to a strong start in the Intercontinental Cup with a 2-0 victory over Mongolia at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Sahal Abdul Samad and Lallianzuala Chhangte found the back of the net in the second and 14th minutes respectively, giving India an early advantage.
Despite the hot and humid conditions, the 101st ranked Indian team dominated the match for most part, controlling possession with 65%. However, the inability of the Indian attackers to convert numerous chances in the second half was a concern for head coach Igor Stimac.
Captain Sunil Chhetri had a quieter game, playing deeper than usual and being replaced by Rahim Ali. Lalengmawia Ralte also struggled and was substituted by Jeakson Singh.
India made a fast start and were 2-0 up inside 15 minutes with strikes from Sahal and Chhangte.
Midfielder Anirudh Thapa found himself in the clear on the right flank in the second minute and he pulled one back into the middle of the penalty box. The Mongolian keeper got a hand to it but Sahal was there to fire home with a low left footer.
There was a brief period when the Mongolians tried to settle down, keeping the ball to themselves but the Blue Tigers were on the prowl and scored soon from a corner.
Thapa was involved yet again as his 14th minute corner and Sandesh Jhinghan's header rebounded off a Mongolian defender on the goal-line and Chhangte was in hand to poke the ball into the net.
Three minutes later, Udanta Singh got the ball from captain Chhetri inside the Mongolian box and he appeared to have been tripped by a defender. The Indians shouted for a penalty but the referee had none of it.
Mongolia also had their own penalty claim in the 37th minute when their midfielder Baljinnyam Batmunkh was at the receiving end of a sliding tackle from behind by Anwar Ali but the referee turned down the visiting side's claim.
India were clearly the dominant side in the first half with 53 per cent possession and seven shots at opposition goal of which three were on target.
The home side dominance continued in the second half but they found it hard to break down the Mongolian defence. The Mongolian defence did better in the second 45 minutes than the first as they brought more men to deny the Indians from scoring.
Udanta had a clear run inside the Mongolian box in the 55th minute after a Sahal flick but he failed to keep his shot down. Udanta and Sahal were replaced by Rohit Kumar and Naorem Mahesh at the hour mark in search of goals.
The introduction of fresh legs led to a flurry of shots at the Mongolian goal, though without success. Rohit nearly scored in the 83rd minute but his header off a Thapa corner got the fingertips of the Mongolian goalkeeper and ricocheted off the woodwork.
Just before the start of the match, both sides observed a minute's silence to pay respect to the victims of the Odisha train tragedy.
India play Vanuatu in their second round-robin league match on Monday.
(With PTI inputs)
